phade

LOL. 1.5 year old.

Are you some kind of special? I'm sorry, but if you don't know the difference between a yearling buck and a 1.5 year old buck, you have no business in this discussion, let alone starting a thread about AR. Ignorant...ignorant...ignorant. AR will have near zero impact on yearling bucks. There is also no wide-scale regulation initiated AR in NY that protects 80-100% of 1.5 year old bucks. Maybe I missed that somewhere. You might get 66-75% on a good season in a poor area, but that's about peak.

8H? 8H? 8FREAKINGH? Unreal...8H is arguably the best non-urban WMU in the entire state. Yet, it needs AR? I can see people whining about it out east, Albany way, etc. But seriously, 8H?

Why not cash rent it then? Have them pay you to plant the corn.

Na, that's all fine and dandy. No regrets or I wouldn't have done it. I make enough to have the fund up and running again and it's just a temporary delay. On a seperate note, I got a good picture into how people feel when they slap 20K on a single hand of BJ or black on roll of the wheel. I could have power vomited up until the results.

Honestly, if you are going to invest in a one-time (or long-term) xbow purchase, I'd really look at the new Excal line...the Matrix 355/380 (or whatever the numbers are). The only knocks on Excals are the width (prior to the Matrix) adn some sloppy triggers from time to time. The width issue is naught on the Matrix line. I'm merely asking, but do you bowhunt with vertical bows? If not, what is it that makes you want to use an xbow rather than getting into vert bows?

This hit is piddly compared to the $21k cash money to roll the dice on a chance at HAVING a baby, ha. I'd have a nice property by now if that wasn't the case, but cest la vie. It'll be worth it...even though it is pink camo instead of regular camo. Thanks WNY.

Double whammy this month...adding baby and the S.S. tax increase. Ouch.

Way to try to pass opinion as fact.

Doc, you are a piece.

Ignorance is indeed bliss.

Hey Goober, read my first post in this thread.

Awesome. I know nothing.

$35 shipped tyd CO US Paypal Gift. Price is firm. Cam is a 2012 model. 3MP and IR.

Good to know. So, would you say that you don't necessarily target mature bucks with regularity, then, and just take what is out there? I just want to make sure we're not talking apples to oranges here.

Do you target "mature" bucks or are you more a recreational/brown it is down/anything goes hunter? Nothing is wrong with either end of the spectrum, imo, as people have differing desires. I just wonder whether the purpose for hunting causes the difference in scouting philosiphies. I do have to say I've never met a hunter who seriously pursues mature bucks who doesn't spend significant time post-season scouting, including times of snowfall, unless they have more money than sense. At one point, I stopped having the mindset you did. When I did that, and started pursuing mature bucks and investing heavily in post-season scouting, I have a clear line of demarcation where mature bucks started appearing on my wall. Again, nothing wrong with hunting for different reasons, but if you regularly target and knock down mature bucks (using loosely here for NY, as in 3.5+), I'm all ears on how to incorporate your tactics into the system I use. You can never stop learning.

All three components, the card, cam, and batteries determine how well the cam takes pics in cold weather. Lithium batteries will work best overall in cold weather. Honestly, newer cams, that's the only time I use them. Utilitech alkaline packs of 30 from Lowes can be had for $4 on Black Friday. I usually buy $20 worth and feed all my cams for the year. If I need to run a cam in the dead of winter, it's going be with lithiums. Cams will stop working, or worse, malfunction, in colder temps. I have had several Spypoints, and they do OK. I do know that I miss pics when the temps start to dip into the teens and below with alkalines. Lithiums will power the cam in those lower temps better and will have longer life. Cams with alkalines will "come to life" as the temps rise to the point the alkalines can power the process. My Covert Code Black has been out for 2-3 weeks straight on alkalines and I have only gotten pics sent when the cam reads 26 degrees or higher. Covert does not suggest use of lithiums in it because it can prevent the MMS feature from working. I'm really hoping to see pics sent below that - I cannot confirm if there have been deer there at times when the night temps are in the high teens, etc. We'll find out. People either seem to cheap out or go brand name only on cards. In winter, I like cards that write faster and of a brand name. Class 4-6 are a minimum of write speed to use in newer cams. Faster the write speed, the less power taken in the process. A good friend uses only class 10 and he does well. I'm not a Reconyx fan because of price vs. risk. I cannot strap $500 to a tree and hope it doesn't walk away or get damaged. BUT, it's also a champ in cold weather. They have a new dual lense setup for 2013, and that may be one of the bigger innovations (with proven performance behind it unlike Stealth tried). That may be the feature that could get me to pay the coin...legitimately getting rid of IR blur. In any case, that cam, powered with lithiums and a good card, will get you through our winters. Not for the faint of heart though.

Everyone has to have a system that works for them. I certainly agree of the value on in-season scouting, but I whole-heartedly believe your view on scouting at this time of the season, even with a foot of snow, is a missed opportunity. I'm not going to debate the merits why because you and I don't agree on much and likely never will, but my prior post still stands as evidence of why this time of year is valuable. I'll just leave it at you have a system that works for you, and my post-season scouting works for me. This is purely for informational purposes, but do you know if any of the mature bucks you targeted (or knew were in the area for hunting purposes) are still alive after this season?

I'll post my two cents and move on. I believe you are getting some poor information and also some good starter information. Scouting right now has value - how you use the information you find is key. Blanket statements such as late season significant snowfall or random actions by deer (LOL) are just not something that should keep you from scouting right now. The obvious helper with snowfall are the tracks. They tell a big story if you just do the work. Large tracks led me and my partner to this thigh-sized rub on Saturday. I'm 6' 1" and the rub tops out at my shoulders. It has significant scaring from tines above the rub and shows sign of prior year activity. So, really, what's the value of scouting now...Duh, here's what we now know (or don't know): #1 This buck is still alive. #2 It is mature (track width, gait spacing, rubs, rub height, tine scoring) #3 We're in his core area (repeated use of the same rub tree, other similar rubs, a scrape identified by the licking branch, large tracks in snow during time of lower [relatively speaking] forage availability and decent snow build-up in the same locale as was his fall range) #4 This rub was likely made and hit in the morning based on rub location on the tree, tree location, bedding area, food sources, and travel direction amongst them. #5 We didn't find his bed (ran out of time due to commitments and had to stop there), but we believe we're very close to it, and we know where to start the next time we scout this buck. We will find his bed or beds in this vicinity and we will set up a kill stand accordingly. #6 This may be a rare set where this buck can be killed going INTO his bed in the a.m. in bow season rather than being an afternoon set and trying to kill him as he leaves his bed. The rub activity and scrape location close to bed (assumption at this point) means a very early morning arrival to stand for the hunter on a day or night prior with precipitation and wind. Bucks that do this may be vulnerable to hitting the scrape and/or rub before coming to bed in the morning, hanging him up "just" enough to have him in sight in legal shooting hours. Scouting at this time of year in these conditions may not be worth it to some, but it is to me, and I know alot more about this buck now. Quality hunting ground can make a poor hunter look great and very skilled. But, for the majority of hunters, including me, this is where the rubber meets the road. Some do it and some refuse. Best of luck to you, whatever information you heed and what you choose to do.

Cam sold in minutes, sorry. G2 still for sale.

Original cam owner. Works A-OK. Comes with 2GB card, but no strap, as I use screw in mounts exclusively. $65 local to Rochester meet/pickup or $70 shipped CO US. Surefire G2 - used three hunts this season. Bought 2, need 1. $35 TYD CO US.

Phew...good for Larry then. Not so good for the volunteers and their families. Back to my exile.

Looks like his post show him as a Webster firefighter. He has not been on since yesterday. Does anyone know him or can they confirm he is OK? Webster does not have that big of a Fire Dept.

I'm avoding participation here, but I think this is worth mentioning due to the situation at hand. I believe based on past posts and a conversation, that Larry 302 is a Webster fire fighter or first responder of some sort. My prayers go out regardless, but let's make sure Larry is safe.

im done with this thread and this forum for a while.